Novak Djokovic Fired Back at Injury ‘Experts’ After Australian Open Retirement

Djokovic was forced to retire due to injury after the first set of his semifinal match vs. Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic after his match against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. | Mike Frey-Imagn Images

24-time major winner Novak Djokovic took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday and fired back at "experts" after he was forced to retire due to injury in his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev at the 2025 Australian Open.

Djokovic, who was booed off the court by the fans in Melbourne, posted what appears to be a photo of medical imaging he received on the muscle tear in his leg.

"Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there," Djokovic wrote.

Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there. pic.twitter.com/ZO5mBtw9zB

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 25, 2025

Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, was surprisingly booed off the court by the fans at Rod Laver Arena, which prompted a strong defense from Zverev in his post-match interview.

In a news conference, Djokovic confirmed he had suffered a muscle tear. The Serbian tennis star also seemed puzzled by the reaction of the fans who had always seemed to have love for the most decorated Aussie Open player in the tournament's history.

"I don’t know what to say," Djokovic said. "People have come, they paid for the tickets expecting a great match and a big fight, which they didn’t get. From that perspective, I can understand. I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to understand me."

"I know how my body works, what I feel, and I know how much I’ve given to this tournament in the past 20-plus years. I will stop here, so that I don’t continue (speaking) in the wrong direction."

It appears that Djokovic said what he wanted to say with his post on X.

---